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Abhorash
The most legendary of all Blood Dragons was and is their first master, the Dragon Slayer, the Scourge of the Greenskins, the Blade Immortal, the Lord of Blood, Abhorash the Great, Abhorash the Wanderer, Abhorash the Master. But his location is unknown. Some say he wandered north, deep into the Chaos Wastes, or east into the land of the Giants to seek out even greater conquests. Others say he followed the path of Sigmar and became a God; others say he still walks amongst their ranks in the disguise of a young thrall, watching for the most worthy amongst them. Still others think of the tales of other Dragon slayers, like the mighty Gilles le Breton and Lord Amara of Hoeth, and wonder how many faces their master might wear in a life as long as his. Whatever the case, none have seen or spoken to him in centuries, and his location and his plans remain mysterious. History Harking back to the ancient days of Nehekhara at the peak of its power, in the city of Lahmia, a warrior known as Abhorash dwelt. He was the protector of Lahmia's queen, Neferata, and had sworn always to uphold her honour and defend the kingdom from any threat, commanding the queen's personal bodyguard as their captain. He was a peerless swordsman even in those days, and ancient scrolls found in the sandy ruins told of his legendary skill and loyalty, his heart filled with love for his people, but with an even greater love for his queen. When Neferata discovered the dark art of Necromancy from the books of Nagash, and recreated an imperfect version of the Great Necromancer's potion of immortality, she became the first vampire. Gifting the rest of her court with her dark gift, she took a liking to Abhorash, who she saw as a pure and noble man that she could corrupt. Drawing him in with her supernatural allure, she made false promises of love and devotion, enchanting his mind and tricking him into drinking her befouled blood. Tainted with vampirism and much to his horror, Abhorash soon began to thirst for living blood. Much to the amusement of his queen, Abhorash refused to feed upon those he had sworn to protect, so great was his martial pride. Yet his resistance was short-lived, for he could not resist the powerful thirst for blood that had overtaken him. In a night of gory feasting the captain of the guard slaughtered a dozen of the queen's subjects and drank their blood, sullying his purity and damning himself forevermore. Filled with sorrow and guilt over what he had done, Abhorash swore to never again drink the blood of innocents, and every night henceforth he lit a dozen candles in memory of those he had killed, and only drank the blood of criminals and enemies of Lahmia. The Fall of Lahmia When the city was besieged by the Priest Kings who sought to end the threat of Nagash's legacy once and for all, Abhorash was at the forefront of its defence, standing with the mortal soldiers of Lahmia in battle. Ancient hieroglyphs asserted that Abhorash slew hundreds of the Priest Kings' warriors until the steps of the palace were awash with blood. Despite his best efforts however the city fell, though Abhorash did not join Nagash when the other vampires fled to Nagashizzar, but instead chose to exile himself, followed by his zealous Vampire disciples. Believing he had been betrayed not only by the mortal Priest Kings who had slain all those he had loved and protected, but also by his queen who had made him what he had become and who had fled to serve Nagash and forsaken her people, Abhorash swore an oath to never again trust mortals. Abhorash continued to light the twelve candles, though they represented his hatred for humanity instead of his sorrow for those he had killed. Rather than seeking dominion over the land or knowledge of arcane arts as the other vampires did, Abhorash directed his powers towards attaining the absolute pinnacle of martial achievement, striving to become the ultimate, perfect warrior. He taught his followers, among whom were Walach Harkon and Varison the Blade, that single combat and honour in battle were the only true measures of greatness, and told them that only the impure fed upon the weak. Abhorash himself refused outright to feed upon those he deemed weak, and contented himself only with the blood of tribal chiefs and other great fighters, travelling far and wide in pursuit of this goal. He sought out the most lauded warriors, and slew countless Orc warlords, human tribal leaders, Champions of Chaos and other great fighters - none, however, could match him. Abhorash's Ascension and Legacy Eventually Abhorash's quest took him to a mighty peak in the Worlds Edge Mountains, its summit wreathed in fire and smoke. He scaled the daunting edifice in a single day, and came upon the lair of an ancient and immense red dragon. Knowing then that he had found the challenge he had been seeking, Abhorash drew his sword and dared to enter the lair of the beast. The vampire and the dragon threw themselves at each other. The monster's breath bathed Abhorash in flames, but his immortal flesh did not char. Its claws and fangs tore rents in his shield and armour, while Abhorash's sword cleaved immense gashes in the thick hide of the dragon. They battled for the whole night, and the mountains echoed with the fierceness of the clash. Just before daybreak, Abhorash's sword found the dragon's heart and he dealt it a final, fatal blow. Even as the last of the dragon's life bubbled from the wound Abhorash bared his fangs and burrowed his head into the gaping cut, gulping deeply at the lifeblood of the dragon. Abhorash drank and drank, filling himself with the dragon's life force. He cast the monstrous beast's bloodless carcass from the mountaintop and gave a roar of victory that caused avalanches to tumble for many miles around. Invigorated by the blood of the dragon, infused with its ancient strength, Abhorash no longer thirsted for the blood of humans. Finally, after centuries of torment, he had freed himself from the blighted unlife Neferata had cursed him with. At one point Gilles le Breton and his Grail Companions came across Abhorash, the two mighty warriors dueled, resulting in the Blood Knight swearing an oath of fealty to Gilles and his people. The Vampire later assisted with the construction of La Maisontaal Abbey as part of his life-debt. End Times During the destruction of the world at the End Times, Abhorash was last seen fighting alongside the returned Gilles le Breton in Bretonnia. His ultimate fate following the end of the world is unknown. The Get of Abhorash Abhorash has directly created two of the mightiest Blood Knights in existence. * Walach Harkon, founder of the Order of the Blood Dragons. * The Red Duke, the scourge of Aquitaine. Sources * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Night's Dark Masters ** : pg. 49 * : The End Times I: Nagash es:Abhorash Category:Blood Dragon Category:Lahmia Category:Vampire Count Characters Category:A